Morphine and Smoothies
by ghanathesaiyan4
Summary: It's a long road to recovery when every bone in your body is broken and you're constantly drugged but Goku swears if they give him one more strawberry-banana smoothie he's gonna scream. *Post Saiyan Saga* - slight AU


Morphine & Smoothies

A/N: I love Post Saiyan Saga Goku because he was invalid for a month instead of the fast recoveries we expect. He may seem OOC but he doesn't have anything to do which means a lot of time to think. And Goku has a lot to think about. Vegeta and Goku's rivalry is my favorite part of the entire series because they seem to be crazy around and about each other. In this AU, Chi Chi left after Gohan was born because they realized that Goku wasn't human and she was in over her head.

It doesn't go away. Even though the movement, the torture does, the pain doesn't. It stays. Somewhere behind all the agony he's in he has just enough spirit to curse Vegeta out in every known dialect he knows. He can't bring himself to hate but he defiantly loathes.

He doesn't remember much of the ride to the hospital after their conversation, hope nestled somewhere in his stomach right next to hunger and blood.

He vaguely registers that they arrive at Wukong hospital and it takes 3 male doctors and Master Roshi to get him on the stretcher. The preliminary exams confirm what he knew that yeah, every single bone in his body is broken and the internal trauma is extensive. It's not a good sign that the doctors are freaking out because apparently, they aren't trained to fix an alien. Bulma though is firm and argues his case until the doctors hesitantly agree to work on him. But they are still arguing about everything and it's frustrating because he's in so much pain. His throat hurts because he's screamed like crazy today and apparently when two saiyan males are fighting to the death they get downright wild so the growl that rips threw his vocal cords is fierce and loud enough that it silences the room. He doesn't understand how he's lifting his body when it's so broken, strength of will he guesses, but he's halfway up enough to look dangerous which he feels because if they don't stop talking, he's going to rip someone in two. Something steel-like entered his pained voice as he demanded, "Do something, now." He adds the word 'please' as an afterthought along with a cheery smile, but the job's been done and he's so out of it he doesn't even panic when the shot full of morphine comes out.

He remembers nothing of the first night but was told later that he had seven different surgeries, one of which including the removal of his ruptured appendix. When he wakes up in a dark room in an odd bed that doesn't allow him to see any part of his body from the neck down, he freaked out for a moment. Then he sees his son and best friend sleeping in the beds beside him and realizes he's gonna be fine. He is not alone or facing Vegeta, or both. He's in and out of a daze for a while until a nurse comes in and freezes at the sight of his opened eyes. "You're supposed to be sedated." She whispered and he cocks a crooked grin, "Gonna need some more for that, alien, remember?" She stares at him a moment longer and leaves, she comes back with a plastic bag full of something and attaches to one of the many machines around him and inside him. Soon he drifts off into a dreamless drug-induced slumber. When he wakes up its late morning with the sun shining softly and Gohan and Krillin are easily chatting away about something. Gohan is close to him, grinning happily, despite the bruising on his face and busted lip. He talks with his son and Krillin for a while, meaningless stuff to avoid what happened in the last few days, until the doctor assigned long term for him came in the room. Thankfully, Krillin quickly ushered Gohan out of the room, so he could talk with the doctor. Gohan's injuries though serious were being taken care of and would expect a full recovery. He knew that already, Gohan was young and healthy. But he seemed to be another story. He listened patiently as the doctor explained that it would take four months for him to heal and he might never get back to normal. Fatigue was clinging to him in nauseating waves. His entire body ached and something primal in him longed for food. He wanted to hunt for fresh meat, wanted to devour the liver of his kill for nutrients he needed. His, well, everything was at an all-time low, he needed a transfusion but, hello, alien with no blood like his to be found. It sucks, because he's woozy all the time. From experience he knows it'll be about a week before his blood replenishes which means a week-long headache. They gave him medication that dulled his entire cranium. He just seemed to be in between everything, he was in suffering or he was absent. When the others come in the afternoon plans are made for them to go to Namek while he does nothing but introduces everyone to and expresses his regret over not being able to help. He's never been so invalid before, it's absolutely humiliating, he can't even really move. The next day he had his bandages changed with meant screaming and pain because they needed him to feel things to make sure they didn't screw anything up in his body more. As soon as he's done, they place him back in that bed, hooking him up once again to the heart rate monitor, the IV, the respirator, the blood-pressure cuff. He's drowning in bandages and equipment but he's alive, so it all doesn't matter. He tries desperately to keep a light in his eyes when Gohan's around but he's pretty sure his eyes are glazed constantly. He's never felt like this before.

Gohan spent three days in the hospital and the remaining seven he visited obsessively. The time would have been enjoyed more if he wasn't hooked up to intravenous drip through his spinal cord and numb from basically neck down. It was horrible. The deep sense of loss, of feeling, of emotion. Gohan always had something new and horrifying about his medical conditions to prattle on about that he had read from a medical book: so smart, so unbelievably bright. Gohan always wanted to climb next to him but the metal casing was unforgiving, and he couldn't get close enough. So, he let his words, full of affection and love, convey every hug and kiss he would want to give his precious five year-old son. It's just them two, she is not a part of their family anymore, hasn't been for a year and a half. It doesn't bother him, and Gohan has been too busy to even care. They're fine, just the two of them. Except Gohan is going to space and he's stuck in the hospital. It's only two months round trip, but it's in space, which is unfamiliar. So, he adds parental worry to the list of things screwing him over; right underneath Vegeta & and broken body. He trusts his son's strength and his two closest friends, but he knows how vast the universe is and how many titans are in it. A lot of strong people and it seemed he was going to have to work hard to not fall behind.

A week after Gohan left he was removed from the weird metal coffin bed and placed in an actual one with sheets and pillows and everything. He talked them in to removing the catheter, but he was not allowed to use crutches because apparently when you have broken wrists and broken shoulders and broken everything you're not trusted with crutches. So that means a wheelchair. It's degrading but he can't imagine putting any weight on his legs right now. His legs and chest got the worst of everything. He can't even take a deep breath without coughing heavily and his chest feels heavy. His left lung had been punctured in the battle and almost filled with blood. That's what happened when a Great Oozuru squeezed a person with giant hands for several minutes. Said person ended up with shattered ribs that pierced vital internal organs.

Two and a half weeks after the battle he's finally feeling kinda like himself again. Which means in about two days he's charmed his nurses, all four of them; they like him and are fascinated by him. He was still forced to drink a lot of things, smoothies really- something about stimulating his digestive tract, weird- so his stomach isn't strained. Smoothies are ok, he likes smoothies but he's going crazy because he keeps getting strawberry-banana. Apparently, the strawberries are for flavor but bananas are soft and filled with potassium which is apparently something he needs. He's sick of it. He wants food but he keeps getting strawberry-banana smoothies. He threatened all four of his nurses when they came in at different times to not give him one again. That night all four of them are there and they bring him a cherry-rhubarb smoothie, he didn't even know what rhubarb was but it wasn't a strawberry-banana smoothie, so he wasn't complaining. Despite his difficulties of being stubborn he's still their favorite. His doctor is annoyed by his actions but still dedicated an hour a day to talk to him. Something about mental trauma, the battle with Vegeta doesn't bother him as much as Vegeta does. The prince of the saiyans was an enigma, the battle itself was normal for him. But he obliges the doctor and talks but not about the fight. He talks instead about what he knows of the world and of his childhood spent in the wilderness. It's a long story but one he tells with great vigor because it's his life. He speaks about his experience with fighting and how he was the champion of the world martial arts tournament only six years ago. By the time he's finished, three, hour long sessions the doctor is amazed and says now he knows that it was strength of will and not miracles that kept him alive. Apparently, his heart stopped three times on the operating table and restarted itself on its own each time. It's a bit of a surprise but he's always been a fighter, so it's crazy but conceivable. He settled into a routine of taking medicine, drinking stuff and every afternoon he gets wheeled to the outside grounds on "enriching walks". He wants to train but it's only going to hinder his recovery. He's going a bit stir crazy though, wanted to move freely again instead of the pain he's in. He yearns for the hour outside because the sun is perfect, and the air is not full of disinfectant or stuffy. It feels wonderful. He is free from the grasp of war for now, but he feels trapped in his own body. He yearns to run again.

It's been almost thirty-five days since they left for Namek and Master Roshi comes bringing dire news that their spaceship was destroyed and not only that, but that Vegeta & someone more powerful is on that planet as well. His heart was racing by the time Vegeta's name was mentioned, and the challenge was made even across the galaxy. Korin comes with Sensu beans which makes him ecstatic because this is what he's been waiting for. He eats one and instantly his strength rushes in like a tidal wave, his bones repair themselves and his internal organs start functioning properly again. He rips his stupid hospital gown and bandages just by flexing, already changing into his gi. He jumps out of the window ready to go on an adventure in space. A month of morphine and smoothies just for another chance of getting broken again. It didn't matter though, he had to help them. It was his job as a protector, a warrior, a father. He urged Nimbus through the sky, feeling perfect and whole and himself. Finally, himself.


End file.
